In an orthopedic surgical procedure, surgically implanted orthopedic cables are frequently used to secure bones together, or otherwise used to tie or fit other parts of the body together. An orthopedic cable is typically a thin length of cable that is manufactured from a biocompatible material such as cobalt chromium alloy, or stainless steel, or another similar type of material. Generally, an orthopedic cable is wrapped around an affected area of a patient's bone structure and then secured with a device such as a cable crimping device in order to stabilize the bone, secure fractures, stabilize trauma, install other devices to the bone, and for other purposes. Conventional orthopedic cable products utilize a device such as a cable crimping device to crimp the orthopedic cable in order to secure the cable with a specific tension around the affected area of a patient's body with a specific tension. However, crimping the cable typically causes damage to the cable and renders the cable unsuitable for re-use in an orthopedic procedure. It is not uncommon for an orthopedic cable to be replaced during the same surgical procedure when the tension on the orthopedic cable is insufficient and the cable must be retightened to obtain a sufficient tension. Since the orthopedic cable is damaged due to the crimping procedure, the orthopedic cable must be replaced. Replacing the orthopedic cable during a surgical procedure is time consuming for the surgeon and increases costs due to the wastage of the orthopedic cable.
In other instances, the conventional orthopedic cable product or portions of the product must also be replaced as well. In order to save time, manufacturers have designed single-use devices to secure the position of an orthopedic cable in a patient's body. These single-use devices cannot be reused and must be discarded if the orthopedic cable is initially tensioned and changes the tension or position of the surgical cable must be made later. Replacing the conventional orthopedic cable product or portions of the product during a surgical procedure is time consuming for the surgeon and increases costs due to the wastage of materials.
For example, one conventional orthopedic cable product utilizes a deformable sleeve or tube around the orthopedic cable. The metal sleeve or tube is then deformed by a screw that compresses the parts of the sleeve or tube around the cable. The metal sleeve or tube is deformed or crushed, and thus cannot be reused. Furthermore, the orthopedic cable may become deformed or crushed, and may not be suitable for re-use. In either event, once the surgical cable has been set to a desired position or tension, and for any reason becomes necessary to re-position or re-tension the surgical cable, then the metal sleeve or tube of the conventional orthopedic cable product must be replaced as well as the surgical cable.
In some instances, a conventional orthopedic cable product and an orthopedic cable are used in conjunction with an orthopedic device, a patient's bone, bone implant, or other structure. For example, an orthopedic device such as a trochanteric grip, can be secured to the exterior surface of a patient's femur using one or more orthopedic cables and corresponding conventional orthopedic cable products or devices. Each time an orthopedic cable is tensioned with respect to the patient's femur, the trochanteric grip becomes further secured to the exterior of the patient's femur. However, as each orthopedic cable is tensioned, other previously tensioned orthopedic cables may loosen, or the position of the orthopedic device may shift. In either instance, previously tensioned orthopedic cables may have to be re-tensioned or re-positioned with respect to the trochanteric grip and the patient's femur. Conventional orthopedic cable products or devices used to secure the position of the orthopedic cables may have to be replaced along with the orthopedic cables that have become damaged or crushed due to the installation of the orthopedic cable products or devices.
At least one conventional orthopedic cable product utilizes a releasable lever operated cable clamp to apply a clamping force to an orthopedic cable. The conventional orthopedic cable product tensions the cable to a desired tension, and a crimp is swaged onto the cable to hold the tension. Then the lever operated cable clamp releases the clamping force, and the cable clamp is removed from the cable. This type of conventional orthopedic cable product is not implantable within a patient's body. For example, the lever operated cable clamp is a separate component from the crimp, and is too large for implanting in a body. Such products utilizing a non-implantable clamp add to the complexity and time for performing relatively delicate surgical procedures.